Thursday, August 23, 2001

Newspaper Clout

by THE CRAIN’S INSIDER

Recent polls of local newspaper readership show why endorsements matter in New York City elections. Unlike voters in the rest of the country, most of the likely voters in next month’s New York Democratic primary read a newspaper everyday. That gives editorial pages enormous clout – especially in contests where the candidates are not well known, such as races for City Council and borough president. Craig Charney, a pollster for mayoral candidate Peter Vallone and public advocate hopeful Kathryn Freed, recently did a poll that showed that The New York Times, not surprisingly, has the highest readership, reaching a large minority of the public. The Daily News is a close second and the Post a distant third. Newsday has penetration only in Queens, where most of its city readers live.

---

< Return to NEWS REPORTS on our work >